It’s a scene we’ve come to see as common-place. Police are called to a situation and completely over-react. Then they justify their over-reaction and blame the victim of their abusive tactics.

Frankly, it’s a scene I’m getting pretty sick of.

Dorian Kennedy was standing on the staircase just inside the front door of his apartment building having a cigarette. It’s winter and it’s Winnipeg. Nobody in their right mind goes outside for a smoke this time of year!

His quiet time was interrupted by a police tactical team’s laser beam bouncing around his chest and screams from police to drop the cigarette.

So much for minding your own business and having a smoke.

After realizing he really was the target of their pent-up wrath, he dropped the cigarette and was immediately handcuffed.

Can you imagine the charge? Smoking while minding your own business? I never realized that was a crime!

They eventually found the young man they were looking for and arrested him. And they even let Mr. Kennedy go. Eventually. Wasn’t that nice of them?

“That was a little freaky. I thought they were going to shoot me,” he said. “It looked like they wanted to.”

Over a lit cigarette?

Yes, over a lit cigarette.

Winnipeg Police spokesman Constable Shaun Chornley, in a quote that puts him in the running for “cop-thug-of-the-year”, said after being asked if the tactical team had over-reacted,

“Absolutely not. It’s a lit cigarette. He can use it as a weapon, either burning the officer or poking him in the eye with it – anything.”

Yeah. Okay.

How about you make sure you’re pointing your sub-machine guns at the right person next time, okay? Not some poor guy minding his own business and having a smoke in a stairwell.

Constable Chornley, you really need to comprehend that, despite your obvious bias, we the public are not your enemy. Stop being a jerk for ten minutes and read Sir Robert Peel’s Nine Principles of Policing. I’m sure it will be a real eye-opener for you.